Since I have recently switched bags again and bought more stuff, I figured I'd do another post. It's not so much to subject you all to it ...again... but so that I have a pictorial inventory for my own purposes. It may also help someone build theirs. So what the hell...

As always, questions, comments, suggestions, etc. are welcome.

Stuff to go in my pockets

If something happens and I am hoofing it down the road, these are the things that I will (ideally) put in my pockets right away. At very least, these are what I want to take if I have to ditch the bag.

These are Space Bags that are designed for travel. After the seal is zipped, you press the air out through a one-way valve. It keeps the clothes dry and compressed. I was too lazy to unpack them. They contain:

This bag weighs 30 pounds, and lives in the trunk of my car alog with a pair of waterproof hiking boots. It is my GHB, and as much BOB as I need. With a wife and two small children, Bugging In will amost always be our choice. If we all need to bug out, then this will go in the van with all of their stuff and my additional gear, depending on just how quickly we need to get outta Dodge.

No Water? I would throw some water in there. Regardless of how easy it is to procure. Also it is a little light on cold weather gear. Other than that I think your bag looks great. I really like the low key civilian look of your pack.

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Last edited by Pansy on Fri Sep 26, 2008 10:20 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Dump the AL tent stakes. They are worthless. Small pry bar could be removed. Same for the AC current detector. Also look to replace the cotton T-shirt with something synthetic. True the rest of your clothing looks nice and cotton is ok for summer but we are pushing on into the colder months. Any room for a fleece sleeping bag or poncho liner blanket? Toss some bottled water next to your bag to fill your canteens.

I like your kit. Bigger than a GHB but smaller than a full sized 72-hout BOB.

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"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing""Do not mess with the forces of Nature, for thou art small and biodegradable!"

No Water? I would throw some water in there. Regardless of how easy it is to procure. Also it is a little light on cold weather gear. Other than that I think your bag looks great. I really like the low key civilian look of your pack.

Thanks!

The fleece jacket and the rain jacket actually zip together to be a decent winter coat. With this, the thermal underwear, and the knit cap/gloves I thought I was in decent shape for the cold. Do you disagree? Any suggestions?

Dump the AL tent stakes. They are worthless. Small pry bar could be removed. Same for the AC current detector. Also look to replace the cotton T-shirt with something synthetic. True the rest of your clothing looks nice and cotton is ok for summer but we are pushing on into the colder months. Any room for a fleece sleeping bag or poncho liner blanket? Toss some bottled water next to your bag to fill your canteens.

I like your kit. Bigger than a GHB but smaller than a full sized 72-hout BOB.

Thanks WW! Your comments are always appreciated.

I will look for steel stakes to replace the AL ones. They are just easier than whittling stakes if I need to pitch the poncho as a tent; but the steel ones will let me use them for cooking as well. The pry bar and current detector are part of my nod toward being stuck in the city for the first 10 miles of my walk home if the SHTF while I'm at work. I will have to see if any of the discount clothing places have synthetic shirts this time of year. Since this bag lives in the trunk, I also have about 2 liters of water and another whole system jacket (fleece liner and shell). If I grab one coat to wear when bugging out, I can use the one in the back for loft insulation inside the Thermolite bivvy.

It looks good . +1 to above posts . One thought . Is a heavy hatchet necessary ? A pack saw or machette would be lighter .

Good gear Id trust it .

Thanks!

Agreed; a saw or machete would be lighter. The pack saw I bought bent the one time I used it. A machete would be no good for splitting wood or limbing a branch. I grew up splitting wood for camping trips and my parents' wood stove, so I trust the hatchet. Besides, with that molded plastic handle it is lighter than it looks (and practically indestructable).

Dump the AL tent stakes. They are worthless. Small pry bar could be removed. Same for the AC current detector. Also look to replace the cotton T-shirt with something synthetic. True the rest of your clothing looks nice and cotton is ok for summer but we are pushing on into the colder months. Any room for a fleece sleeping bag or poncho liner blanket? Toss some bottled water next to your bag to fill your canteens.

I like your kit. Bigger than a GHB but smaller than a full sized 72-hout BOB.

Thanks WW! Your comments are always appreciated.

I will look for steel stakes to replace the AL ones. They are just easier than whittling stakes if I need to pitch the poncho as a tent; but the steel ones will let me use them for cooking as well. The pry bar and current detector are part of my nod toward being stuck in the city for the first 10 miles of my walk home if the SHTF while I'm at work. I will have to see if any of the discount clothing places have synthetic shirts this time of year. Since this bag lives in the trunk, I also have about 2 liters of water and another whole system jacket (fleece liner and shell). If I grab one coat to wear when bugging out, I can use the one in the back for loft insulation inside the Thermolite bivvy.

Maybe some Ti nail pegs might be better. Both lighter and stronger. Also a closed cell pad might be nice. You could toss the thing in the truck and strap it to the pack if needed. Most of the heat loss comes from the ground. Just a few ideas as you system is good as is. A fleece sleeping bag is very UL and can be also placed in the trunk. I think they are around 20 bucks. I did a thread on them. I have tried the clothing for loft idea in a bivy. But it would just drift to the bottom of the bivy. Great for the feet but not all that good. Maybe you could layer the clothing and just go into the bivy. Often a fleece jacket can fit under a larger winter coat. Guessing that would be better than using a jacket as a blanket. Base layer, fleece jacket and winter coat combo. However if the winter coat gets wet from snow and rain it would be a no go. Even with rain gear I have found that clothing still gets damp after a few days sleeping in the back country if the rain/snow does not let up. Also some people say sleeping in clothing is not a good idea as it gets damp overnight and the next day you will pay for it. Just something to consider. I tend not to sleep in my clothing during winter camping however a few times I did when using a marginal sleeping bag. Seeing how I am here today it must have worked.

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"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing""Do not mess with the forces of Nature, for thou art small and biodegradable!"

Thanks for the tips guys. I do have a closed-cell pad that will go live in my trunk with the colder weather. I will keep an eye out for the fleece bag. The backpack is pretty well stuffed at this point, so anything else I add will either have to get tied to the outside.

Do you really need the stove for the 1 mountain house meal you're carrying? It seems awefully heavy. I'd replace it with more food and clothes.

I'd also ditch the oldskool traumedic bandage, since it does nothing that the ETD doesn't do better. Similarly, you could get away with ditching 1 or both of the medical tape and use duct tape instead. I also question whether a CPR mask is needed in a BOB.

Do you really need the stove for the 1 mountain house meal you're carrying? It seems awefully heavy. I'd replace it with more food and clothes.

I'd also ditch the oldskool traumedic bandage, since it does nothing that the ETD doesn't do better. Similarly, you could get away with ditching 1 or both of the medical tape and use duct tape instead. I also question whether a CPR mask is needed in a BOB.

Fair points. I'll explain myself

The stove is in there because it will let me boil water faster than using Esbit or a campfire. I only have one meal in the bag that really needs this, but this bag is built on the premise that I may have additional resources. At work I have MREs and canned food that may travel with me to the BOB in the car if I need to get outta town in an emergency. Besides, it is a backpacking stove, breaks down smaller that the assembled form in the pics, and is quite light.

I can remove the trauma dressing since I'll just replace it with more cotton for pressure bandaging. The sports tape I will keep because it only sticks to itself, and because multiple sizes can come in handy. Having recently needed to bandage my 2-year-old from elbow to fingertips, I learned this the hard way. And removing adhesive tape in such a circumstance is really a no-win situation.

Finally, the CPR mask is there because I bought a bunch cheap, and this way I will always have one in my car.

Hmm... I damn near bought that same Friskar's hatchet this past weekend. The one I have is a cheapie. I'll probably end up going back for it. Very cool bag. I'm getting lots of good ideas.

Yeah; it's pretty cool.

It's the same as the Gerber model, but about $15 cheaper, I think. I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but it's got a good feel to it. There are others on here that have that one and have used it quite a bit.

Hmm... I damn near bought that same Friskar's hatchet this past weekend. The one I have is a cheapie. I'll probably end up going back for it. Very cool bag. I'm getting lots of good ideas.

Yeah; it's pretty cool.

It's the same as the Gerber model, but about $15 cheaper, I think. I haven't had a chance to put it through its paces yet, but it's got a good feel to it. There are others on here that have that one and have used it quite a bit.

I use mine all the time for the tipi/wood stove. Great gear item at a good price. No need to buy the Gerber as it is the same tool.

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"There's no such thing as bad weather, just inappropriate clothing""Do not mess with the forces of Nature, for thou art small and biodegradable!"

Airballrad, may I ask where you got these? What is your experience with them? Are they fully waterproof, how thick is the plastic, how efficient is the one way valve... etc? Thanks.

If I recall, they were in a variety pack of the Space Bags from Bed, Bath, and Beyond. I have mostly used them for air travel to fit more in my suitcase. The seal is pretty good and I think it would handle a downpour without a problem, but I don't know that they would survive prolonged dunking. If I were planning to go on a canoe trip, I would still put these in the dry bag. The valve does a pretty good job of evacuating the air quickly, and will definitely hold long enough to get stowed into the pack. I have observed that air will slowly get back into the vacuum when left out a few hours.

Have you had the opportunity to hike with the pack? If not, I suggest it. Took mine on a one day 18 mile hike in the Grand Canyon. Helped to identify what worked and what didn't.

I have not. Unfortunately my hiking has been severely curtailed by married and family life. It is hard to tell my wife "honey, you have the kids to yourself this weekend whilst I traipse through the woods testing out my toys." This would put me in the doghouse rather severely. As the kids get older and I can take them out with me, I expect this to change. From my own backpacking experience I am quite certain I would hate this bag over any real distance. It has no frame, and no real system to transfer weight to the hips. The contents certainly include some items that would be excluded if I really thought it likely that I would need to put this on my back and spend 3 days walking home from work (~45 miles). But it is a good inconspicuous way to have a lot of good gear in the car and easily move it to my truck or my wife's van if the situation calls for it.

On the subject of tent stakes forget the nail or needle type. You dont have to buy steel either.I use the MSR groundhogs they are aluminum but are a "Y" design in cross-section giving them plenty of strength and they won't pull-out or sideways out the way round stakes do.